Feet of Snow Add Momentum to Australian Ski Season

In an update published Tuesday, Falls Creek wrote, “It has been one of the best season starts we’ve seen in years and the biggest snowstorm over the June long weekend in a long time!”

The ski resort announced that thanks to the new snow and its new Techno Alpin snow guns, two more chairlifts, Drovers Dream and Eagle Express, would open Friday, adding additional beginner terrain to the early-season mix. On Saturday, the Gully chairlift will also begin spinning, providing to the Village Bowl from the car park.

Falls Creek isn’t the only Australian ski resort taking advantage of the new snow. Perisher, on social media, shared that the Quad chairlift opens on Thursday, followed by the Leichhardt chair on Friday. “This storm has kicked the season into high gear, and we’re just getting started,” the ski resort wrote.

Mt. Hotham used a visual example to demonstrate the quality of the snow, posting footage of one of its staff members diving headfirst into the storm’s bounty.

The wintry conditions mark a departure from the end of Australia’s previous ski season when warm weather and rain forced ski resorts to close earlier than usual.

New Zealand has also benefited from the recent storm. Since Thursday, Mt. Hutt has received nearly 40 inches of new snow and plans to open Friday, according to its website.

While a boon to skiers, the sudden winter weather created some problems, too. Over the weekend, 19 travelers were trapped in their vehicles and eventually rescued near Mount Hotham on Blue Rag Range Track near Dargo High Plains Road, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports.

The ABC also reported that two hikers had been rescued southeast of Mt. Hotham.